Near to You
by MeganBethWrites
Summary: He just had a bit of a thing about her. It was a quiet crush – it was just a subconscious… thing, and something he had to deal with. On hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

A severely unedited first chapter of what I hope will be many. I have a teensy obsession with Will/Rachel, and I've been itching to write something for weeks, so here it is! Obviously, I don't own Glee. (I wish.)

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He just had a bit of a thing about her. It was a quiet crush – she just crossed his mind once in a while, that's all. She slipped into his daydreams occasionally. That was it. It wasn't _wrong_, he wasn't being perverted about it – it was just a subconscious… _thing_, and something he had to deal with.

It was probably normal, after a divorce, to develop innocent crushes on those closest to you.

And, boy, was Rachel Berry close to Will Schuester.

They had one fundamental factor of each of their lives which kept them closer than they should be, and that was Glee Club. It was especially important now, after her disastrous relationship with Finn and his divorce. It became their distraction – if they were busy composing set lists and choreographing numbers they didn't have time to stop and think about how hurt they both were.

Of course, this was all speculation on Will's part. Rachel was probably fine by now.

Teenagers had a gift for bouncing back quickly. She was probably only upset for a week or so.

The other Glee clubbers hated the special treatment Will gave Rachel, and most of them didn't bother hiding it. "She's totally your favourite," Santana protested one rehearsal. "I mean, seriously, her voice is great, we get it. But you need some serious sex appeal to be a real frickin star. You need all of this," she swept her hands down her torso, "To get anywhere in the biz – and man-hands, in all seriousness, is really not a hottie."

Will's eyes flickered over to Rachel before he responded. He was astonished to see her eyes were fixed firmly on her knees, a curtain of brown hair hiding her face. The only giveaway that she was crying was her faint snuffle, and her hands wiping what were evidently tears from her cheeks.

Something inside him snapped. "Santana, go outside, immediately!" he roared. "I will not have bullying like that in my classroom - that was totally unacceptable!"

Shocked at his outburst, Santana didn't seem to be able to form a coherent response. "I – what? You - I - are you _kidding_ me?"

Will raised his eyebrows at her, before saying quietly. "Step outside, now, please, or I will involve Principal Figgins in this."

Will gulped as he waited for Santana's next move. He had overreacted to her comment, and he knew it, but seeing Rachel so sad and hurt had made him unbelievably angry. She meant a whole lot to him, and to see her shot down like that – especially by someone as cruel as Santana – had got to him in a big way.

"You know what," Santana spat, throwing her satchel over her shoulder with such force Will was surprised she didn't hurt her back, "Screw this, screw you, and screw this damn club. Give your solos to whoever the hell you want, Schuester, I don't give a rat's ass."

She stormed out of the room, slamming the door with all the strength she had. The room was deadly silent. Will cleared his throat. "I hope that you all realise that comments like that won't be tolerated," he said quietly, nervously. "Little things can make a large different to a person." He inwardly chastised himself - his excuses were lame, and he knew it.

Knowing none of the kids would be in the best of moods with him now, he decided to dismiss them early. "Um, let's call it a day, guys," he said. "I'll see you next rehearsal."

He turned swiftly to the piano as everyone disappeared, whispering about his outburst, and wondering whether Santana would agree to come back. He pretended to sort through papers until everyone had left.

Will collapsed onto the piano stool and lowered his head onto the keys, groaning. He was such an idiot.

"Um, Mr. Schuester –"

Will sat up quickly at the sound of the voice, his eyes wide and his brain a panicked mess. She had stayed behind.

_She had stayed behind._

He got to his feet and turned around, trying to find a coherent thought. "Rachel – I – um. I didn't know you had stayed, I'm sorry."

She grinned sheepishly at him for a moment. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." She glanced down at her feet. "I just wanted to thank you, for standing up for me like that. It was really… nice."

Will's heart skipped a beat. She'd picked up on his extreme reaction – _shit_. Was she reading into it, had she figured out he was thinking about her that way? Did she deem it inappropriate – oh, God, what if she went to Figgins? Or worse, Sue? She could make his life a living hell with that kind of dirt on him, get him fired, or worse…

"Mr. Schuester?" Rachel said meekly, interrupting his train of thought. She was staring earnestly at him, her wide eyes confused. Will let out a breath.

She didn't suspect anything.

"That's fine, Rachel, what are teachers for?" he smiled. "What are _friends_ for?"

He briefly wondered if he had overstepped the mark in calling her a friend, but her expression lit up at his suggestion. Will dismissed his worry immediately.

"Not many people are willing to defend me," she whispered. "I don't really have any friends – any _other_ friends, I mean. So that –" she paused awkwardly, "Well, it meant a lot to me."

On an impulse, Will reached out, putting his hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Don't mention it. You don't deserve that kind of treatment from anyone, especially not Santana."

Rachel bit her lip as she smiled in appreciation, and Will was blown away by how one girl could be so beautiful and sexy all at once. "Thanks."

"Do you need a ride?" asked Will hopefully, putting a wad of papers in his bag and swinging it over his shoulder. "I can drop you off if you like."

To his dismay, Rachel shook her head. "My Dad is outside. Thank you anyway, though."

Will still thought of her for the entirety of his drive home. They would have talked about musicals, he decided. They would have had to keep it relevant, after all. He'd casually mention he was thinking of putting together a routine for The Wizard and I, seeing as she did so well with Defying Gravity, and would she maybe like to sing it? Rachel would get all excited before thanking him profusely. "No problem, Rachel, you make a great Elphie," is what he would say. "Perfect, in fact."

Maybe she would blush, instead of accepting his compliment with her usual babbling agreement. Maybe she would thank him sweetly, earnestly, like she had done when he'd referred to her as a friend. Maybe she'd invite him in for a coffee to really show her appreciation, and hug him at the door as he left. Maybe she would peck him on the cheek. Maybe he would turn and capture her lips, and they'd kiss passionately on the doorstep before he came back inside…

"No!" Will chastised himself aloud, not allowing himself to go any further with his daydream. Things were getting so out of hand. She was sixteen years old! She was still a baby, a girl!

He parked his car in his usual spot, and forced himself to think of the freshman Spanish papers he still had to grade. If John Reid failed another test he would have to ring his parents, he reminded himself.

Will lasted through six papers before Rachel crept into his mind again.

Damn it, that was two worse than yesterday.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm so sorry this is so short and so late. I promise I'll be more consistent with later chapters - and hopefully they should be a little longer! I've had a very busy (and shitty) couple of weeks, but I'll be back on track soon. Enjoy!

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Over the next week, Will was terrified about the next Glee Club rehearsal. All of the kids except Rachel seemed to be really pissed with him, and if he was honest, he thought it was rightly so – if Santana ended up quitting, their chances of reaching nationals would be nil. (And it would be down to him, though he hated to admit it.)

Will was so distracted by his doubts and mixed feelings; he ended up teaching his senior Spanish class the work he'd prepared for his freshmen. He hadn't realised until after, of course, as none of the kids had pointed out his mistake – the work was far too easy for them, it was almost like they had an extra free period. What eighteen-year-old would pass up on a chance for a lesson where they could just sit off?

The day before the rehearsal, Will sat in his office after school, his head in his hands. He couldn't believe how screwed up his emotions were – the most important thing in his life since his divorce was the Glee Club, despite the fact there were certain parts he loved just a little _too_ much, as well as certain parts he might have ruined completely.

"Mr Schuester?" came a soft voice from the door, abruptly awakening him from his thoughts. Will looked up to see Rachel Berry standing in the door frame, a bright yellow folder clasped tightly to her chest.

Of all the people who could turn up at his office, it was her who had decided to pay him a visit. Will wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. One the one hand, Rachel, _his_ Rachel, was standing in the door, and she was the girl with whom he wanted to spend all his time with lately. On the other… well, if he did ever allow himself to spend time with her, there was always the risk of him pushing boundaries. He didn't know how much he could handle yet.

"Hi, Rachel," he said with a smile, motioning for her to come and sit opposite him. "How can I help?"

She smiled earnestly at him as she sat down. "Well, it's this," she said, putting down her folder on the desk in front of him.

Forcing himself to act naturally, Will opened the folder carefully. "Bleeding Love? As in Leona Lewis, Bleeding Love?" he said, as he read the title of the sheet music.

Rachel nodded. "I was wondering if you stay behind with me, to rehearse this song for tomorrow. I feel kind of guilty about last week – you know, with Santana…" she trailed off a little, and looked at her knees. "So I figured a killer performance just might make things up to my fellow Glee Clubbers." Will noticed how strong her voice was, even when she was obviously a little upset. He admired her so much for little things like that.

Will nodded. He knew exactly how he felt, even he was certain she had nothing to be sorry for. "I've never needed to help you with a song before. And if I'm honest, this song isn't particularly challenging for you – it's well within your range." He paused, searching for the right words. "Are you sure you really – um – _need _me, Rach?" he stammered.

Rachel looked at him, wide-eyed. "Well, yeah. I could use your… expert opinion," she said with a delicate laugh. "Is that not OK?"

Will shook his head furiously. "No! No, that's not what I meant at all. But you're so much better at this than me, Rach. You don't need my help."

Rachel forced a smile. It would have been obvious to a complete stranger that she was hurt – Will was blowing her off for no good reason, and he felt bad. But he didn't know how he would handle the situation. He might overstep the mark, do something he would regret. What if he said something inappropriate? Anything could just slip out, especially in such a candid setting, and she could pick up on it. Maybe he would hug her, or something, in the heat of the moment – or what if he kissed her? What if he couldn't control the urge to lean over and –

"Well thanks, I guess, Mr. Schue… Do you mind if I use the auditorium to practise anyway?" Rachel said timidly, hurriedly taking back her sheet music and staring at her lap.

Will couldn't help himself. "I'll meet you there in five minutes, OK? Just let me finish up here."

Rachel looked up instantly, and Will's heart soared as he saw her beam. She was so beautiful when she was happy. She was beautiful when she was sad and angry, too. (Hot, even.)

"Thank you so much Mr. Schue!" she grinned, rushing out of his office. "I'll see you down there, I should be set up by the time you're ready. I'm so excited, I love this song…"

Will could hear her babbling to herself even as she sped away.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Will let out a groan. It was going to be a tough couple of hours, and he was fully aware of that – but she was irresistible. No matter how creepy his crush was, there was no use trying to control it. Rachel Berry was just… enticing. Alluring. Everything about her was just _tempting_, and not just in a sexual way (although, good God, was she sexy).

Will put his head down on his desk with a thump. He forced himself to think of Sue Sylvester.

Sue Sylvester murdering a kitten.

Sue Sylvester murdering a bag of kittens.

Sue Sylvester murdering a bag of kittens with a chainsaw.

Sue Sylvester murdering a bag of kittens with a chainsaw and wearing spandex.

Yeah. That would just about do it.

Taking a deep breath, Will stood up and headed towards the auditorium.

This is was _so _not going to go well.


End file.
